Potosi breaks through again in late innings

POTOSI — Landon Young went 4-for-4 including a clutch two-run double that gave the Potosi baseball team some needed insurance on Saturday. The junior second baseman then made two sparkling defensive plays in the seventh to preserve the lead.

The Trojans scored four times in the sixth inning, and claimed their second late comeback win of the week by defeating De Soto 6-4. Potosi tallied five runs in their final frame on Tuesday to edge conference rival Fredericktown.

Potosi (5-1) managed just two unearned runs through five innings against Dragons starter Kaileb Armbruster, but consecutive singles from Brad Wright and Matt Marler sparked a series of five hits during the sixth.

The bottom three batters in the lineup delivered key swings, as Andy Reed legged out an infield hit to load the bases with one out. Pinch-hitter Jacob Missey tied the game at 3-3 with a single on the first pitch he saw, and a sacrifice fly from senior Blake Gilliam put the Trojans ahead.

Young padded the lead with a hooking drive over the left fielder for his second and third RBI on the day, as both Reed and Missey scored, but De Soto would threaten to answer one last time.

 Potosi reliever Devin Hampton worked 1 2/3 innings with one hit allowed for the eventual win, but was pulled after plunking Neal Finch to begin the seventh. Chad Smith earned the save with help from Young, who raced to catch a drifting foul ball for the first out.

Brandon O’Day brought the Dragons closer with a RBI double to left field, and Chad Reando reached on an infield hit with the potential tying run. Caleb McClain ripped a line drive up the middle, but Young made a diving grab to his right and alertly doubled off the runner at third for a clinching double play.

O’Day and Reando each finished 2-for-4 with two RBI to pace De Soto (3-3), which collected 11 hits overall. Landon Anderson and Armbruster added two singles each, and Eduardo Oquendo scored two runs.

Marler started on the mound for Potosi and lasted 4 1/3 innings, yielding two earned runs on eight hits while striking out five. Marler helped himself escape trouble by picking off runners to end the second and fourth frames.

Reando doubled home Oquendo in the opening inning as De Soto jumped in front. Young evened the score in the Potosi third after Gilliam was safe on a three-base throwing error.

Oquendo began the Dragons fifth with a single and scored from first base when a sinking single from Armbruster caromed off the left fielder. O’Day followed with a RBI single to make it 3-1.

Gilliam scored his second run during the home half of the fifth when Dylan Eye punched a RBI hit through the infield. The Trojans will resume MAAA Large-School action at Farmington on Tuesday.

De Soto  100 020 1 – 4  11  2

Potosi  001 014 x – 6  9  2

WP – Hampton 1 2/3i 1r 1h 1k 0bb 1hb.

LP – Armbruster 6i 6r 4er 9h 0k 0bb.

SV – Smith 1i 0r 2h 0k 0bb.

Hitting:

De Soto – Armbruster 2-3, Anderson 2-3, O’Day 2-4, Reando 2-4, Sampson 1-1, Hammond 1-3, Oquendo 1-3. 2b – O’Day, Reando, Hammond.

Potosi – Young 4-4, Missey 1-1, Reed 1-3, Marler 1-3, Wright 1-3, Eye 1-4. 2b – Young.